


a path of love for the quitters

by GenuineGayGraces



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:27:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24738397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GenuineGayGraces/pseuds/GenuineGayGraces
Summary: Akaashi has an iron wall that protects his heart from foreign intruders, always rejecting any infatuation before seeing where it can go: he has decided to quit loving.Bokuto's delighting demeanor intimidated any potential lovers from wanting more than a second date: he has decided to quit loving.Paths will cross at an unsuspecting coffee shop.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 14
Kudos: 41





	1. a tale of two

**Author's Note:**

> Hello readers! Thank you for your interest in this story, please be aware that this is my 1st time writing a fic! I hope you like it :). If you enjoy listening to music while reading, please check out these songs that really fit the mood~  
> Nobody Knows-Amber Coffman  
> I'll Still Have Me-Cyn  
> Take My Breath Away-Berlin  
> PrettyGirlz-WILLOW  
> Blush-Wolf Alice

He had never considered himself the sappy type but instead a casual romantic, though he would sometimes wonder why he could never be as affectionate as his significant others. They all called him loveless, like dating a rock. Akaashi just wanted a person. A person who could understand his love language wasn’t proclaiming adoration every second of their time together but his thumb brushing against their hand, held loosely together as to not get too humid inside the clasp of it. He carried out life with as much class as possible, yes, he knew he didn’t need someone in his life to make him happy, he can be happy all by himself. Impulsively, Akaashi has begun to reject any potential lovers as soon as he got any hint of their desire, whether that be him looking down when they looked up, an explanation that he had no time for it, or a false facebook option that put him in the category of “taken.” Time was well spent on romcoms and curling next to his 3 empty tissue boxes that were obvious enough evidence that he was just a lonely soul, hoping for someone to see his denial of love was only a wall to protect his sensitive heart. As a well-known book author, Akaashi was grateful that his ways of writing were appreciated enough to allow him time to breathe every once and awhile. Looking for inspiration or just to not allow himself to wander to insecure places, he would go out in public to observe young love that he himself couldn’t milk long enough to last 3 months at a time for his cold aura. 

He truly knew he was a romantic fanatic, he had always been told he was too passionate and gave it his all way too early into the relationship. They all called his ways of showing his admiration “animalistic,” like being around a sick puppy. Bokuto just wanted a person. A person who could understand that he didn’t mean to look desperate, he just wanted them to know just how much he cares. The dumb Sharknado and pirana movies meant nothing if he couldn’t laugh at the bad acting and CGI without someone else. Someone who could appreciate his actions and never tire of him. After each relationship was cut he always came back to the thought that he was a toy that people enjoy till all of the tricks don’t work anymore, that’s when they get bored of him. Bokuto comprehended that he could amuse himself without the help of another person, the picturesque relationship of his dreams may never come true, he resolved to himself while getting suited into his athletic clothes. Bokuto got to see his clients and understand their own love troubles since venting while working out was a way to relieve tension and motivate themselves to push harder, these confessed struggles him to know he wasn’t the only one clawing for hope in the dating world. As a personal trainer for many professional athletes, Bokuto got free time here and there, which gave him time to work on himself and let out his own relationship frustrations. Bokuto gained enough confidence to compromise himself to go on one more date, the terms being that if it went well then he can finally see that it wasn’t just him that was the reason for his past relationships falling out. 

Bokuto had been set up on a date by his close friend, Kuroo, the pair decided on a calm cafe meet on a chilly Sunday that would make Bokuto wear his plaid scarf. As always, the owlish man came to the coffee place quite sometime earlier than the actual time they decided on. The reason for his early birdness being he was thrilled for some social interaction and a new chance at getting to know someone…but he mentally reprimanded his brain for being as excitable as always, which might intimidate his soon to be present date. There was little to no one in the warm building, only two women gossiping in the window and a stylish man with a mysterious beauty around him typing furiously on a laptop whom Bokuto could have sworn he caught staring at him from time to time. 30 more minutes till they arrive, thought the multi-colored head of Bokutos as a glanced at his shiny watch, the women had left by then and been replaced by a father and son having an outing. The previous man Bokuto had decided to sit by was still perched at his spot near the window, typing still as fast as before. He fiddled with the buttons of his coat, played a mental well-being app (gotta stay physically and mentally healthy), and thought of topics to discuss with the person on their way. Just 15 more minutes till then.

Akaashi had decided that he would change his scenery for the day and went to his favorite cafe spot on the cold Sunday morning, putting on his tight turtle neck and suede pants he did a little prayer to his makers to please give him some inspiration on the next chapters of his newest novel before his editor and close friend, Kenma, ended his short-lived life. He had been in his destination for some time after a jittery man who seemed unaware of his ruckus stomped into the room, plopping himself near Akaashi and his work, the man himself was quite the vision. His pale yet glowing skin was nicely paired with the burning yellow of his irises and the wardrobe choices were immaculate, the grey loafers complimenting the pleated scarf as if it was a prophecy for them to be put together. The author couldn’t help himself for stealing glances at the young man, finding himself being almost caught each time, the victim’s senses as keen as a great horned owl. Akaashi’s brain decided to shut down when the grey and the black-haired man finally caught his eyeing and did a slight uptick of his mouth as if sweetly saying good morning. He gave a shallow nod of his head in return and chose to type “DO NOT GET ATTACHED” in caps lock on his screen continuously as he noticed that the man was probably here for a date and was only trying to nicely say “please stop staring” at the creepy stalker, which was unfortunately Akaashi. 

“Holy shit” was Bokuto’s first thought when he finally made eye contact with the sea-green eyes of the adamant typer that occupied the warm coffee shop with Bokuto, the curt head-bob he received back was reason enough to overthink a life where he and the mysterious man skipped through rainbows and watched sunsets together. The typist was easy on the eyes, the graceful curve of his back showed as his posture was straightened every so often to keep himself awake, the sweeps of ebony hair shone against his olive skin which was graced with lips that were more delicate than blooming rosebuds. Bokuto’s face flushed as he turned his head back to reality and scolded himself for fantasizing someone else when his date was on the way now, it being time for the meet to begin. Any second and the person would be through the doors then greet Bokuto and have a lovely time with them. 

After a while of virtually scolding himself with the caps lock, Akaashi got his rhythm back to continue his newest work: a scorned geisha falling in love with a midwife in Miyagi. The newfound motivation was muted shortly after it was made by impatient tappings of a foot against the linoleum floor coming from the one and only other customer in the cafe, the handsome man that Akaashi couldn’t even feel mad at. He theorized that the owlish male had growing testiness because of the late date (Akaashi was a very good observer). He felt something of a mix of pity for the muscley man, jealousy to the absent date getting such a package, and frustration towards the date who didn’t respect the nicely clothed male enough to show up on time. I would be on my knees for a guy like that, was a fleeting line of thinking that passed the writer’s mind. He quickly shook his head and willed himself to finish the chapter he had going along, yet all this brain could muster was a deep pleading to go and comfort the now slumping man, seemingly now depressed but still determined to holdout longer for his significant other he had the plans with. 

Growing restless but still holding out hope, Bokuto observed the man on the laptop burn up with redness and shake his head furiously as if to physically shake an idea. He stifled a peal of laughter at the antics he saw as felt his mood elevate, there was probably a good reason why his date was 30 mins late, there was probably a good reason the previously mentioned didn’t text with a heads up, and there was probably a good reason why Bokuto shouldn’t stand up and strike a conversation with the appealingly flustered male. Bokuto just had to be a little more patient.

Akaashi flushed and flushed until his who body reprogrammed itself to get a grip, he saw the handsome man laugh at him, he saw the man’s own blushing at the sight of Akaashi, and he saw how the two-toned hair of his seemed to sink when the man checked his watch for the umpteenth time. The funniest part of it was that Akaashi wasn't feeling annoyed in the slightest, usually, he would go and confront anyone laughing at him but the situation at hand was just too funny to not get a chuckle out himself, he glanced at the beefy man once more. The author put a hand to his chest as a way to help his heart from hurting so much from the sight he saw. He knew that if he was in the man’s shoes he would not only feel completely devastated with the rejection but also humiliated that he didn’t even receive the care of even a heads up for tardiness. Now whether Akaashi had suddenly become possessed or his legs grew a mind of their own, he couldn’t tell why he got out of his chair, he stood next to his still warm seat and had a brief but meaningful mental crisis. It was as if his body had just willed him to go and talk to the sad man. As if, he scoffed to himself as he pulled his chair out more to better maneuver himself back into it, yet his figure didn’t move, stubborn still to do anything to comfort the other man. Don't do anything completely and utterly stupid, he tried willing himself, yet whatever sense of compassion that Akaashi possessed all of a sudden mustered itself to action. Panicking internally, he fiddled with his fingers with compulsive vigor and reasoned that he would show kindness towards the ditched man by ordering him an iced latte. He went to purchase it and instructed the cashier to please deliver it to the buff and tall being sitting at the table. If Akaashi were to be asked why all this confidence just came up out of nowhere, he wouldn't be able to admit. I hope I didn’t just overstep, Akaashi droned in his head, this can either go good or bad.


	2. things get slippery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The situation gets out of hand... but good comes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for reading the 2nd chapter of this, at the moment I don't really have an ending planned out. I'm just letting this story go along as it is, it will be a slow build though, both of my bois need to learn how to love.

As he went back to his seat, Akaashi felt a new feeling. Somewhere between the world of extreme nausea to newfound confidence is where Akaashi felt himself to be situated. Casually crossing his legs, he went through all the scenarios that could take place once his newly developed crush received his drink in good fortune, he may take it the wrong way, he may think Akaashi is taunting his failed date; or worse, the date may show up and throw the cold drink all over him (whether that “him” be Akaashi or the crazy-haired hottie). 

A frustrated breath left his lips as he realized all the things that could go wrong with his small gesture of good faith being taken the wrong way...wait...what if he’s not gay? Wait… I’m not flirting with him… am I? Did Akaashi just unconsciously allow a stranger, a foreign body, to make him feel some fluttery feelings and openly flirt? Well, technically it’s not flirting “openly.” What the fuck am I gonna do now, was Akaashi’s last thought till he realized the barista was on the last step of the beverage and would hand it to the random cutie any minute now.

Bokuto had resided tilting his chair, hoping it would slip and knock him down hard enough for him to wake up from this uncomfortable situation he had found himself in. He had been waiting far too long to even believe they would still show up, and how awkward it would be to see how desperate he looked for still waiting this long if the date did come around. An idea of texting the bad matchmaker of what exactly is happening popped into Bokuto’s head, pulling out his phone, he began texting Kuroo.  


To: Kubroo  
Subject: Bro  
Bro, they’re still not here, if you see them, let them know I’m sorry if I missed them but I can’t keep waiting ( ͡❛ ︵ ͡❛)

“Kuro, your phone just buzzed” Kenma called in a small voice from the shared office of their spacious apartment. “Yes kitten, I think it might be Mom asking when we will be returning home.” Kuroo entered the room ducking his head to not get hit by the flourishing hanging plants that Kenma was quite proud of, they’ll need to be hung higher soon to not attract the cat's curiosity, Kuroo thought briefly.

“Only if she makes apple pie, hers will always be the best, and she was my mom first” Kenma huffed as his boyfriend, Kuroo, ruffled his hair and scrolled through his ratty phone that was in dire need of replacement. We’ll go replace it next week, Kenma thought to himself as he skimmed through his editing work to make sure it was concise enough to understand. “Bokuto just got shown up by someone I put him up with” groaned Kuroo “, he really doesn’t need this right now.” Kenma finished the editing and went to where his lover was standing, wrapping his arms around the lanky man, Kenma whispered a reply of “all we can do now is hope it doesn’t bring Bokuto down.” “Ugh, I wish I could do something more,” the taller male complained. “Threesomes are out of the question,” Kenma said with a smirk playing on his lips, he and his partner shook with laughter and began making lunch.  


To: Brokuto  
Subject: Bro  
Bro, I’m really sorry to hear that, don’t let it get you down though because you deserve better anyway. Go home and relax

Bokuto received his best friend’s text in comfort, sighing to himself and beginning to put his phone in his pocket then leave for home. Just as he had gotten up he couldn’t help but see the other man looked like he was ready to leave too, jittery hands packing all his work into a savvy but worn briefcase. Bokuto stood next to the table he had been sitting in for almost two and a half hours, staring at the overused seat that kept his toosh warm as a parting gift. For no apparent reason, except maybe it was the beautiful boy that seems to almost be shaking at this point, the owl resembling man couldn’t find it in himself to be discouraged with his date that ditched. 

No, that doesn’t mean he would give the no show another chance but instead won’t give up on love, this was just an unfortunate mistake that led him to see a live-action angel with bed head and flushed cheeks. Maybe I’ll say something, he thought to himself, but what exactly do you say to someone who looks as eternal as that, he rethought, it’s now or never to just try. Just as he positioned his body to walk toward the vision in disguise he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning to meet a skittish barista’s body, he was handed an iced drink. “This is for you, paid for by a fellow patron,” says the skinny barista while pointing to the door that was presently swinging closed, making the exit/entrance bell ring loudly. Now, Bokuto hasn’t always been the most intellectually inclined man, but there was only one other patron in the whole building, and if it was who Bokuto was guessing it was…it would explain the cute coffee goers sudden nervousness of just being in the same room as the man he anonymously coffee ordered for. Bokuto gratefully takes the drink and this sign from the great Buddha that all hope is not lost then turns to the seat of the drink purchaser to make a move on his secret admirer. Unfortunately, the drink receiver turns to an empty seat. Again, Bokuto is not the hugest IQ holder in the room so he double-takes, guffawing at how the man he was planning to learn more about had vaporized into thin, coffee-scented, air. Bokuto started at the spot till he heard an “Uh, sir, the man you seem to be looking for left the establishment when I gave you the beverage…” squeaked the timid bringer of coffee. Oh, that’s why he pointed to the door...cuz the hottie left, realized Bokuto; while still in complete shock, he thanked the employee for the resourceful information, and bolted out whilst chugging the iced latte. 

Back at the now customerless cafe, the two workers chatted about the live-action beginnings of the love story they had the honor of being eyewitnesses to.“Something tells me we won’t be seeing much of Akaashi-san anymore” snickers the taller employee that comes up to the register to meet his coworker. “I hope customer-sama can catch up to our regular patron-sama,” remarks Yamaguchi, the initial barista that gave Bokuto the cold liquid. “Tch, he’s lucky to have even gotten that kind of reaction out of Akaashi-san, I just hope you’ll be strong enough to not spill any information you know about our frequent patron, Akaashi-san, in case the grey-haired man comes back.” Replied the barista blondie. “I’m gonna try my best, Tsukki! But he was kinda scary, right?” 

“I’m such a coward,” he muttered under his breath as he watched the two-tone haired man as he did a Usain Bolt out of the cafe, frantically turning his neck left and right in search of the mysterious man, now empty cup in hand. He might just be running out to get away from me… he might still think I’m in there and is just trying to get as far away from me as possible and looking for a hiding spot and only, thought Akaashi quite insecurely. Although the owl-resembling man was quite quick on his feet, Akaashi was quicker, the feeling of future confrontation by the handsome man drowned Akaashi in insecurity and made him do a mad dash of escape. The worry wort in him made the author recount what exactly got him in this situation. He watched the barista come toward the cute male, drink in hand, and all Akaashi could think of was the “flight” instinct he oh so cherished, so he got up swiftly and sadly, leaving any chance of meeting the man he gifted a free latte too. Akaashi has always been good about leaving scenarios that had the power of negative escalation, his diligence and over the paranoia of “what can go wrong” can be applauded for that talent. As any other fearful prey might do, Akaashi took refuge in his apartment, settling on the nice terrace that overlooked the coffee shop, giving him the go-to be able to *not stalk* but observe what exactly will happen next. At first, he battled with his morals on whether or not to look at how the handsome man would react to his gift, ultimately deciding that it would not be in his best interest to watch and should just let it go. Yet here he was, staring at the man still looking around, watching up and down the street for any signs of the missing man, even asking a few passers-by. Akaashi’s heart clenched in sorrow as he felt the desperation of the man still looking around for the person, which was the cowardly Akaashi, he may never see again. He knew himself to not be cruel enough to just spectate the man's plight, so he dialed the cafe number and asked the employee who answered, Yamaguchi-kun, and gave him explicit details on how to proceed with the now depressed male who just sat down at an outside cafe table to sulk. 

After the coworkers had said their thoughts on the matters of their frequent patron and the new, tall customer; they realized that the previously mentioned coffee drinker was still stubbornly looking for their Akaashi-sama. “Tsukki, I feel so bad for him, getting rejected twice in one day!” Just as Tsukishima was about to reply with a snarky comment, per usual, the shop telephone rang with impressive volume, both boys flinching and Tsukishima making the move to answer the call. “Aroma Mocha Cafe, this is employee Tsukishima speaking, how may I help you?” The bored boy recited into the phone with monotone speaking patterns. “Hello Tsukishima-kun, this is Akaashi, I have a terrible favor to ask and please feel free to deny it if it seems like too much..” Akaashi spoke into the phone, presently watching the owly male pace up and down the street. “Anything for our most continuous tipper,” the blonde says to Akaashi’s desperate request. The phone is put on the speaker to dish out the plan and it is decided the Yamaguchi would be the one to physically communicate to the now sitting man just outside the building doors. “Just please air my apologies to him, I would hate to have him waste his day searching for a chicken like me” Akaashi summarized embarrassingly. So Tadashi went to seek out the still sulking person outside, proving himself to be the perfect messenger, the scheme went smoothly and allowed Akaashi to finally breathe a cloud of relief. 

Lost a chance twice in one day, was the only coherent thought Bokuto heard in his mind, glumly sitting at a clean table in front of the same shop he had spent all of his morning and almost afternoon in. A bell rings in the corner of his head, no wait that's an actual bell, the same bell that signals someone leaving or coming into the coffee place. Bokuto turns to the sound, hopeful that it may mean he gets a clue on the act of the disappearing man. “Hi, customer-sama..” the well-known employee greets Bokuto nervously with a paper pad and pen in hand swallowing a lump in his throat as if asking to not be eaten. “Hey, hey, hey, it’s alright! Call me Bokuto, can you tell me anything about that other man in the cafe earlier... he was working on something diligently, messy hair, tanned skin, gorgeous eyes, about yay high” Bokuto recalled with grand gestures then estimating the height of the person he was describing by bringing his hand flat to level to where the gone guy’s head would be. “Yes! That’s Akaashi-sama!” The taller man’s eyes widened at hearing the person’s name he had been trying to get to know, finally being able to connect the alluring name to the even more alluring face. Yamaguchi continued “, He actually called us to ask if we could clear the air…” As Yamaguchi gulped a second time in the span of probably 2 minutes total Bokuto whizzed his head around as if to try and see Akaashi looking on. Akaashi-sama had been a patron to the cafe longer than Yamaguchi has been employed there, Yamaguchi would hate to slip up his wording and embarrass his common customer so much that he never comes back to Aroma Mocha. Yet, Yamaguchi had always felt sad when thinking about Akaashi-sama, it was almost pitifully obvious how lonely Akaashi-sama was, it hurt Yamaguchi’s heart to see the writer come in alone, reject any advances from potential dates, then leave alone. Even sadder, there was one time where poor Akaashi-sama was typing as usual when one of his more cruel lovers came into the establishment screaming that all the writer cared about was his work and selfishly never made time for them. It indeed ended bitterly, Akaashi-sama trying to be rational with the partner till they halted their spatting and stormed out, slamming the door behind them, leaving the male a little more broken than before. The typist apologized profusely for the scene to every other customer and deeply bowed to Yamaguchi himself and the other on shift worker, Tsukishima. Coming back to the present, Yamaguchi knew it was none of his business but he had a kind of sixth sense screaming at him to push things along for the pair… Bokuto and Akaashi-sama. So at that very moment, Yamaguchi chose to tell his newly introduced customer the splitting truth, not the exact pretty truth but the kind that might make people reconsider, yet the kinda-matchmaker knew it wouldn’t scare the burly man one bit. “Well, Akaashi-sama is a frequent here at Aroma Mocha, and it’s true he was the one who bought you the drink…” Bokuto grinned widely at hearing that he was right for making the painfully obvious guess, Yamaguchi went on “, but, to be truthful, Akaashi-sama is usually very walled with his emotions, to be confronted for his gesture would probably scare him to death, because...you see...basically, what I’m saying is that...Akaashi-sama is just extremely shy and although he did make the first move, Akaashi-sama’s heart is just too frail for rejection…he’s too familiar with it...” Oh, Bokuto understood now, the barista had spelled out the fact that Akaashi was scared to be loved. “I’m so sorry!” Bowing deeply, Bokuto apologizes and prays to anyone listening that the gorgeous man is somewhere watching and accepting the apology. “I should have known better than to be so forthcoming, I should learn to be more subtle.” Says Bokuto, in an apologetic tone, Yamaguchi gapes “, no! It’s really fine, actually, I think someone so confident would be a great fit for the Akaashi-sama...but really, don’t feel bad because he wishes for me to say sorry for him.” Now it was Yamaguchi’s turn to bow low, rising, he kept on with his conversation,” Akaashi-sama is very aware of his inappropriate reaction and is very ashamed, please find it in your heart to accept his apology.” Bokuto stares, unknowing of what exactly to say back, he blushes “, he’s forgiven as long as he decides to give me a call, I won’t ask for his digits so this can be his way of telling me whether or not he would like to go on with the chase.” He takes the paper pad and scribbles his name and number boldly on the aging page “, thanking for allowing Akaashi and I to connect…” Bokuto tried the taste of Akaashi’s name on his tongue, and as crazy as it sounds, the word felt velvety, Bokuto doesn’t really have a sweet tooth but the flavor would be one he doesn’t mind having in his mouth ”, and I’m sorry if I caused an inconvenience for you,” Bokuto finished. Yamaguchi and he finished their goodbyes and each went off to their respective places. Before Bokuto was out of earshot, the other barista exited the building to call out to him “, Hey valued customer!” Bokuto turns, wide-eyed “, I just wanted to let you know that Akaashi is usually composed about romances, yet you’re bringing out something in him I’ve never seen...he’s never made such a smooth move on someone.” The blonde finished his out-loud thought, seems to be still as perplexed with Akaashi’s actions as before, even if he just voiced them. “You and me both, Barista-kun!” Bokuto whoops, going farther and farther from the cafe.

Akaashi was the audience to a timid barista speaking to the still sad man slumping in the outdoor chair. The unnamed man was perked up quickly after listening to the circumstances and even jumped up to look around by craning his neck here and there at some more words said by Yamaguchi. All Akaashi could feel in this moment was the future years of his life being eaten by the anxiety he felt, he just sent a very inexperienced youngling to do his bidding, to be his messenger but he was too pathetic to speak to the more handsome man he bought a cup of joe for. “Ugh, I’m hopeless,” said the author, not only to himself but to the plump cat he had as a companion for the month while his mother was in Monte Carlo living the good life. She was in good company, her name being Madoka to fit her fluffy figure that only complimented her gracious beauty. Returning to the task at hand, Akaashi saw that, at last, the broad-shouldered male wrote something on the paper pad given to him by Yamaguchi, said his goodbyes, and strolled off as if nothing had happened. That’s some impressive effortlessness Owl-san, Akaashi thought while simultaneously naming the no-name male that left his peripheral vision. Just as he thought the show was over, Akasashi spotted the more quiet cafe worker, Tsukishima-kun, popping out of the place, seeming to air some grievances to the buffer man than was on his way out. Heart thumping, Akaashi watched the leaving man yell in positivity and go on his path in reply to the blonde’s words. Without a moment to lose, he recalled the cafe. 

“Tsukki! How bold of you, but what will Akaashi-sama say when he calls back?” As if on cue, the cafe phone rang ominously, Tsukishima showing some hesitation to answer it for his slight fear in the assiduous patron. Yamaguchi picked up the device, going over what happened to the caller. “Akaashi-sama, I believe Bokuto is quite smitten with you! He was quick to ask for you and even quicker to express regret to his behavior in searching for you adamantly!” So his name is Bokuto, Akaashi thought to himself, his hand moved robotically to write the name down on his personal paper pad for ideas and such, he makes sure to write it neatly as his subconscious way of honoring the forgiving nature of Bokuto. Yamaguchi went on with his experience with the owl-looking man “, he is quite friendly and was very understanding of the circumstances, oh but I never gave him my name when he introduced himself, how rude of me!” “I’m glad,” the author replied, a small smile on him from the warm feelings he got when thinking of Bokuto-san, Madoka must have sensed the happiness radiating off of him since she trotted up to him, curling around his leg whilst purring loudly, pleased that her temporary owner seemed truly aflutter for once. “Me too, Akaashi-sama, I have a feeling we are at the beginnings of something beautiful,” Yamaguchi blurted out very uncharacteristically, he begged pardon for his sudden outburst, Akaasi could hear Tsukishima-kun laughing loudly in the background. “It’s quite alright, Yamaguchi-kun, please tell Tsukishima that I can hear a hyena in the back so he better takes care of it and that I will speak to him about his conversation with Bokuto-san on a later date, but for the record... I also feel that way.” Akaashi glowed at his honesty and his first time saying the handsome man’s name, it was a strong name that his mom and aunties would approve of being a “reliable man’s name.” As for why exactly he was admitting blossoming feelings to a cafe worker he didn’t even know all that well was a question he couldn’t answer but here he was, being happy. “I’ll be sure to tell him, Akaashi-sama. Ah! I almost forgot, are you ready for me to tell you his number?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come soon


	3. Text him, Akaashi!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It takes a little persuasion from his close companion, Kenma, but Akaashi finally texts Bokuto! Now we can get the ball rolling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH i havent updated in a while but im here and i hope you like this! Please check out my other fics, a medical au called Love at Ukai_Udai hospital and a flower shop au named Love blooms with the flowers! Im much more assidious when it comes to those fics, i know that sounds unfair tho :^}

Madoka meowed at Akaashi’s pacing around the large living room. The fat cat laid at the book nook window and whacked at a long vine, Akaashi held the piece of note he scribbled the number onto after Yamaguchi had told him it. He clasped the note like a lifeline, he considered all his options on texting the number, there was no way in H-E-double hockey sticks that he would just crazily call the stranger. “Madoka… give me a sign… also please don’t tear the leaves off my vine” Akaashi groaned in his episode of despair. Sadly, the plump pet didn’t seem to give any show of knowing the answer, this was Akaashi’s issue, his chance to meet someone new and get out there. Even all alone with just a kitty cat in his space, Akaashi felt some sort of existential crisis in his hands. Numerous times, the raven reached for his cellular device to put in the digits and message then and other times the raven dangled the paper above the recycle bin, each attempt was unsuccessful and made Akaashi more hesitant than before. “UGGGGHHHHH” was all the anxious man could muddle out of his incoherent brain as he made his listless body flop onto the couch in his bedroom, he forced himself into a deep sleep.

As Akaashi entered REM sleep, he saw the two-toned head of his crush standing in the cafe, seeming to talk to the dreamer but no sound left his mouth. Once the owl stopped his words and looked worried of why Akaashi had no reply, the pale man put a hand onto Akaashi’s cheek to check his temperature, the raven leaned into the soft touch and took hold of the hand to kiss it, twining the thick fingers with his slender ones, both held a hopeful look in their eyes. All of a sudden, the setting around then changed to the man becoming shirtless, Akaashi under them in a bed while Bokuto hovered himself above the dreaming raven. Although his vision was blurry, everything looked tinted in pastel colors, Akaashi couldn’t tell he was in a dream state, his desires took over for him to adore the man he gazed at. The buff man made no move on Akaashi and he too performed no action until his whole body screamed at him to feel the man above him, to savor the pale skin. The male named Bokuto leaned closer to give permission for skin contact, Akaashi whispered his name as he brought his hand closer to the smooth surface. The man laying on his back reaches out to graze his hand on the male above him, confidently tracing both hands on the hard pecs and abs, he craved more, he knew this was all too fast, this can’t be real, he should wake up now...before he goes crazy. They’re faces come close together, lips nearing a midpoint where they would be slotted together… Akaashi jolted awake, it's morning now and all the author wanted was to get the cafe man out of his head. He feeds Madoka, played with her and her favorite toy, listened to music, failed to write some of his chapters, and listlessly stood in the middle of his apartment, trying to find a solution to his dilemma that will not end in his demise and humiliation. He phones his closest friend and editor, Kenma, hoping to do some of his candid inspiration while actively not spilling the beans on the situation and being unrevealing of how the novel was progressing. The phone rings twice ominously before the receiver picks it up, Akaashi fires away. “Hi, Kenma, I was hoping to get your input on a classified hypothetical situation that means nothing in no way, shape, or form…” Kenma squints his eyes in suspicion, glances at Kuroo humming a tune in his head while a stirs ingredients for breakfast “, go on ahead, I’m a good listener” with Kenma’s consent, Akaashi fires away at a ludicrous scenario that would pave the way for Kenma’s answer on what he should do with his personal dilemma. “Okay, so, let’s just say there’s something you want, but you don’t know how to get it, well you know, but you’re very scared it may not go very well, there’s always a downfall… will you go for it anyway?” Kenma’s line is silent for mere seconds till he answers “, I think you are only focusing on the negative, if you truly want it you should do it, or would you rather pass it up and have bittersweet thoughts of what could have been.” The words that leave the small speaker of Akaashi’s phone get absorbed into his already-intelligent brain, the pill has to be swallowed and the clever editor just shoved the articulate words down Akaashi’s throat. “Thank you very much for your advice, we’ll be in touch soon.” The call ended after the brief conversation, the raven reached for the number written on the paper and typed it into his cell, he named the contact “Bokuto-San” and went on to text the contact.   
To:Bokuto-san   
Subject: Hello  
Hi, this is Akaashi, we saw each other at the Aroma Mocha cafe and you indirectly gave me your number. I just wanted to contact you and apologize for my sudden disappearance, I hope you searching for me didn’t bring you too much of an inconvenience. 

The texter chewed his lip at the message, was it too much? Was it too little? Would I make him seem boring or too apologetic? Too late, he pushed it with a rush of confidence, telling him that if this didn’t go as planned, he would still have himself… and Madoka of course. The text had been sent, his mind seemed more clear than before, he sat at his desk overlooking the street to begin some sore of his work, his mind felt 99.9% clearer after finally overcoming the task at hand (sending a mere text) of course this didn’t seem like much to a regular onlooker but the writer felt as if he had just conquered Mt. Everest. He whooped out in celebration to no one in particular, Madoka looking pestered with the loudness, the owner quickly begged pardon, he felt so established, so brave, something was forming within him... it didn’t necessarily have to do with Bokut-san but he can be thanked later on for allowing Akaashi to gain some ground. “Time to get to work,” the novelist said to himself as he cracked his knuckles, getting ready to write his sudden flow of inspiration coming out of his mind onto the white pages that demanded words be written on them. 

Akaashi had always been a humble soul, so he would never admit that he was a very sought after author, his novels of historical fiction with a splash of love in them made readers jump for more, the accurate historical detail and the lovesick way he formed paragraphs left him critically acclaimed, already having two literary awards for. The good writer would like to say it’s luck but 7 million copies sold in 5 weeks isn’t something to call ‘luck’ he did pour endless hours pacing around his flat wondering where he should take the story next so he knew he worked hard. His inspiration would flow and flow hard, a powerful river that breaks through a dam… his hand would ache after writing so hard and so fast, trying to keep up with his vivid thoughts flashing a video of what he can picture happening, writing it down in haste. The longest he went like this was roughly 6 hours, he wrote the 3/4ths of that successful book, only stopping when Kenma came in (he has his own key) to hide from Kuroo after the lanky man found out Kenma names many of his game characters after him and other people in the real life. 

Bokuto’s career choice of being a personal trainer was a good choice in that many athletes looked up to his regimens that were not cookie cutter to each unique body and allowed each client a better sense of confidence in the end. He was a sought after coach, he gave his customers much of his personal time and made them feel like close friends that were just going to the gym together. Unlike his ‘all over the place’ personality, the owl was meticulous in his planning of things, making sure to make time for all patrons, recommending the best diets for specific people, and suggesting proper brands that are good for working out in. After a leg session with his client he saw 3 times a week for 3 hours at a time, he showered off the glistening sweat and went off to check his phone. “Yes… YES!” He received a text from the cafe beauty he searched for and gave his number to indirectly by the baristas. He reads the text with vigor, trying to assume what time the sender was taking on if it was too soon to propose a coffee date or walk through the park. He turns off the phone to give himself a pause, fix himself a celebratory sandwich for the hardcore exercise and getting a text from a total catch; but Bokuto shouldn’t get ahead of himself, the whole way they met was out of a movie scene, it was cute and hectic but very much worth it. He changed the random number to be actual contact on his list.  
To: Akaashi!  
Subject: Hey right back to you!  
Hey, hey, hey Akaashi! Thank you for texting and there was no inconvenience so don’t apologize, sorry if I came off too strong, I’m Bokuto in case the barista never told you :)

Pressing send he stood back from the cell before going right back to it to double text, having a slight wonder toward how Akaashi had known he looked for him after the anonymous drink.  
To: Akaashi!  
Subject: A question  
I was just wondering though, how did you get the idea to call the cafe after leaving? Was it a sixth sense to seek me out :0 !!!

For the record, Bokuto had finally answered the anxious message from the anxious author after 3 hours since he was busy training with a customer. The writer was in the middle of his creative flow when he heard the device buzz numerous times against the antibacterial counter, his eyes snapped open, attentive of the sound that made him wonder if it was Bokuto who texted him. Subconsciously, he had always had the question of when he would get a text back from the handsome man who was still in the back of his mind, lingering his yellow eyes on his blue ones. The ebony-haired male hopped out of his comfy chair to reach the phone in his kitchen at light speed, he, too curious to find any dignity as Madoka watched the whole scene with sleep in her eyes. He read the texts, read them a second time, and reread it once over till his glitching brain could process the texts he got back from the man he dreamt about so fervently. The working man had an answer to both the texts, his ears blushed at the fact that he had been double texted and that the answer to the latest message was not that he was a psychic but a man who watches people he leaves behind in cafes try and find him, but Bokuto was the only person Akaashi had such in interest in to just blatantly stalk. God, how the hell was he supposed to tell the man he admired that he just viewed the searching scene from the comforts of his apartment that were two stories higher than the cafe, allowing him to have a nice and high seat. Well, I guess this means he will never be entering my home if I ever want to convince him I’m not a psycho stalker, Akaashi believes in his head, putting his long fingers to the keyboard, he drafts many subject matters to no avail in how to avoid his watching tendency without future consequence. “I’m a writer, Madoka,” says the slightly irritated Akaashi as Madoka gives him her side-eye at his cowardness to not tell the truth and reply correctly to the situation, it should be clear to be honest since almost all past relationships were ended with his unwillingness to speak with candor, in fear of being offensive or looking crazy. This truth could send him a ticket to the loony bin if he does not word this carefully, he types a final draft and rereads it to look for signs of typo or unsound mind:  
To: Bokuto-san  
Subject: Don’t worry  
The barista, Yamaguchi-kun, gave me your name but thank you for telling me in that case. The truth is that I know that my absence was quite stressful for you. I will explain how I know in a moment, but first I wanted to say that you didn’t come off too strongly in one bit… I'm just very reserved as a person. After I had left the shop, I went to my apartment which has a window facing the cafe and to you looking for me and Yamaguchi-kun coming out to discuss the call I made. I know this sounds crazy but I didn’t want to lie about watching you search for me like a madman not because I pity you but because I would like to do something right, not that you are a charity case.

Bokuto was almost done experimenting with a high protein and low carb meal that required egg soaked fish with peanut sauce to be carefully sizzled on a pan with a watchful eye. Although Bokuto would rather watch his phone light up with a text from his Akaashi, oh crap Akaashi isn’t his, he observes the crisp seafood instead. Because the oil was so loud when combusting with the heat of the conductive metal, a regular human wouldn’t hear the ping of the phone that notifies the owner of a notification, but the almost-chef and his sharp hearing of the owl caught the sound, ears almost perking up to sense it. Bokuto had always had good senses, hearing being a trained one since he would have to find ways to know how far his clients' stamina would take them. Since the client could lie about how tired they were, the personal trainer would listen in to hear how quick their breathing was to determine if a water break was needed or not. He rereads the message many times over, feeling slight humiliation in lying about his experience in trying to look for Akaashi and being found out by the man was something he blinked over. He knew he should feel a little mad at the fact that the raven watched his wild goose chase but his heart could only clench at Akaashi’s almost forced honesty, Bokuto could tell that the shy male was not used to this, the sender felt the need to explain his every move in fear that Bokuto could throw him out as if he was a mere piece of trash. He’s cute, the owl thought as he recognized Akaashi’s respect to the cafe workers and the multicolor-haired man’s dignity, he really spectated my chasing around for him, Bokuto blushed at him being caught red-handed, being desperate for a stranger that he wasn't sure was interested in him the way he is in him. The yellow eyes shone in attraction to the male that he would glance at in the small scented cafe, Bokuto would do anything to go back to then and take things slow, not that this was bad, he just really wanted to see his face more… look into the sapphire blue eyes more. From a birds-eye view, the buff man was standing in the middle of his plush apartments living room, holding his phone with a limp arm hanging at his side like the other appendage, staring at the wall in order to rewatch his memory of Akaashi in the flesh; he was in the bliss of brain recall till his pale nose twitched at the smell of burnt fish, crap, the owl went back to the kitchen to fix himself a nice, extra crunchy, meal.   
To: Akaashi!  
Subject: It’s all good!   
Thank you for being honest and stopping me from exhausting myself… ahh, I’m so embarrassed for making you the audience of me looking for you like a madman! 

Sent. Now if the gentle male answered while Bokuto was eating, the eater would wait to answer by instead finishing the meal and answer the text afterward… he shouldn’t look so desperate. He repeated this advice in his head like a hymn till the time actually came where he was still munching on the food and a ping came from his phone, intruding his religiously said litany as he scrambled to read the notification that came from his phone. Sadly, it was just one of his patrons asking for a change of schedule, Osaka was going to participate in a highly encouraging interview instead of meeting up for leg training next week, leaving his Thursday plans open to anyone… like a potential date. The trainer went back to his lunch as he “patiently” waited for a text from the beautiful Akaashi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! chap 4 will continue the text messaging :)


	4. texting with promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We delve deeper into the personal life and quirks of each of the BokuAka pair, the messaging goes well :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update took a little longer than i hoped and im pretty sure its cuz i jinxed myself by saying in the end notes of the last chap that this chap would be coming quite speedily, yet it did not

As an author, Akaashi had a very wack sleep schedule, his many years of studying at universities as a history and English major that allowed him his vast knowledge of being a good writer of historical fiction is to blame for this. The only set-in-stone part of Akaashi’s sleep is that his circadian rhythm was sure to wake him up at 7:30 a.m. every morning, and not allow him to think of getting a wink of sleep afterward for at least 3 hours.   
So, after his proud moment of being able to tell Bokuto the truth, Akaashi’s body chose to give him a power nap that ended up being 2 hours too long. It was a dreamless sleep that the raven would never admit that actually wished to feature the owl at least once, he shook himself awake and went straight to checking the time on his lock screen which showed him the text message from eons ago.  
Oh god, he’s going to think I’m a flake, a one-night-drink kind of dude, was all akaashi could think about as he stared at the message from the buff man. He quickly typed back a reply, he didn’t want to leave the handsome man waiting any longer, no hesitance.

To: Bokuto-san  
Subject: none  
Don’t feel bad about it, Bokuto-san, it felt nice being chased and your ability to switch from street to street quickly was impressive. 

Akaashi didn’t give the thought of pushing the send button a second thought as he pressed it, hoping the 5 seconds he put into composing the passage would make up for the 2 hours and 30 minutes too late it was in general. The worried raven flopped back onto the bed only to immediately get back up, it was time to feed Madoka, the queen kitty could be patient for so long. Hungrily, the cat followed the owner to the kitchen where she was served her food in a shiny bowl, just as Akaashi was pouring the expensive wet food into the container his whole body froze.   
Did he really just text Bokuto-san so carelessly? And did he really just give the man such a stupid compliment? Akaashi should just… did he really do this to himself? This can’t be real life… why, why, why! The raven really did what to read what exactly he sent but a big part of him begged him not to, in fear of really understanding just what he did.   
He served Madoka her late meal and sat on the couch, still in shock from what he all on his own, his life-wrecking decision that he literally typed out… all by himself, he covered his face in mock embarrassment. 

The gym man was watching a lame sci-fi movie all alone, I should get a dog, Bokuto thought quietly to himself. He laughed at the obvious CGI of a scene where the huge anaconda attempts to eat the damsel in distress till the hunk swings from a vine to kick the enormous snake away and take the scared lady away from the evil. His phone buzzes against the cherrywood of his coffee table that his mom begs him to not scuff his shoes against, the small furniture piece was an expensive buy he had purchased it in front of his mother, to prove that he was capable of living alone and picking decent centerpieces for his living room.   
He paused the movie, stretching his back as he aimed the remote just right to give it a good connection to the tv box, the home was now quiet, it made the owl feel miserable, he should *really* get a dog, or a huge bunny, maybe two dogs so they can keep each other company when he is away, but definitely not two bunnies. It would be cuteness overload.   
He almost forgot why he had paused the cinematic masterpiece till he reached for his phone to search up closeby animal shelters; he wouldn’t even mind an older dog if it meant they he could give them a nice ending to a hard life, it would be super depressing to watch the old reliable get older and older, wishing he had more time with them though, but Bokuto likes gentlemen dogs who already know they’re way around the world and Bokuto was always good with the elderly. He viewed the lock screen that told him he had one unread message, opening the chat to see it was from his shy Akaashi, he read the message with purpose and could not think of what the heck to say back to such a text. 

The raven that escaped him in the cafe had praised the ay his athletic abilities allowed him to flit from corner to corner in search of the texter, don’t get Bokuto mistaken… he was flattered but he could tell it was something that Akaashi wouldn’t usually tell people based on the way the raven was messaging him beforehand. The shocked man looked all around the room for some hidden cameras to record his reaction, he waited for some TV show host to pop out of the corner and exclaim the prank pulled on him, this was too good to be true. Kuroo was probably laughing as hard as a hyena watching the owl seem out of place. He waited patiently, for about twenty minutes of silence told him that he still needed to reply to the man at fault for the odd but nice text.   
He stared at the screen where the words of Akaashi were, the blue light of the phone emitting out and burning Bokuto’s unblinking eyes. Akaashi was willing to admit that he enjoyed being pining at, he like Bokuto chasing for him; that simple honesty made Bokuto blush and his heart tighten-it was that moment where he decided that unless Akaashi explicitly told Bokuto that he wanted to end whatever they had, Bokuto is going to chase Akaashi. But still, for Akaashi to admit that and also be the guy who ran away at confrontation seems odd, the owl has a feeling Akaashi was too rushed or too tired to compose a good and normal message. There was no way that the owl was going to embarrass the raven for his out-of-character chat so Bokuto decided that in order to placate how Akaashi must be feeling toward the awkward words he sent that Bokuto read (and liked) was for Bokuto to reply with his own weird text. Sent.

To: Akaashi!   
Subject: Thanks!  
Wow, I’m glad to have an audience such as yourself, I’d be willing to do it all over again if it means I get to talk to you :) 

I’m a writer for god's sake, was his last self-loathing thought he had created in his mind as he got a phone alert that shook him out of his hateful trance. Thinking negatively, Akaashi could now only wonder how nicely Bokuto took himself out of the equation for possible drinks any time soon. In order to deal with the blow quickly, the author reads the text Bokuto has sent him back.   
Eh? The text was nothing like what the negative author thought it would be, he was thinking it would be along the lines of “please delete this number” or “I will be blocking now.” But, no, the writer had the best opportune texter ever with his message reading out even crazier than Akaashi’s was. Loudly, the usually quiet man laughed out loud, this was all humorous to him-he wondered if Bokuto-san went a little off in reaction to his own reply he sent the handsome man. Akaashi decided not to question it anymore as he sent the owl a short text meant to humor the male of a potential date to the potential suitor.

To: Bokuto-san  
Subject: :)  
Thank you, Bokuto-san, but we technically are yet to speak to each other… 

He sent the daring text with a small chuckle, he hadn’t done something this fun since uni, and as depressing as that may sound to the normal person, it was just a perfect amount of serotonin for the overly anxious book writer. Madoka came near for her daily pet scratching of the day, she was cute when she curled around his leg meowing for her touches. He smoothly pets her as he thought of the owl-resembling man he had seen a day ago from afar, a man he wanted to see him again. It was at this moment that Akaashi decided to swear to his makers that he will try and make *this* (whatever he has with Bokuto-san) work. Akaashi knew very well that he has yet to truly know this man that he hoped to one day call his boyfriend but from this small impression he has of Bokuto, it is someone his mom would call a good man, a strong name and strong face.  
Yeah, she would say that whole complimenting speech while patting the paler man’s face in adoration and Akaashi would be smiling proudly at the catch he has made that will make him happy for the rest of his days.  
But first, he should calm down and ask Bokuto when he’s available for a date sometime soon. 

The two men were careful about what plans to go through with as their first official meeting, Bokuto suggested a movie so there would be no pressure to talk but Akaashi knew that theater dates are cowardly so he proposed dinner, Bokuto liked the idea but aired around the caution of how intimate it was. The raven really appreciated how caring the owl was about the small detail of how a specific date might be too much for the raven or not enough, though it was embarrassing that Bokuto took in Akaashi’s faint heart as a factor for how they should meet based on how he ran away from him last time.   
The owl had a very meticulous side of him that not anyone would notice if they were to pass him by on the street. For that nice talent, the pair decided on a walk through a dog park on Thursday, 3 days from now. Akaashi liked the sound of it, they can part once the 30-minute stroll was over or maybe get some coffee, the only downside is how mad Madoka might be with how his scent is when he comes home afterward, but it will all be in good times. The date has been made for early morning and both men couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will not jinx myself by saying the next chap will be coming soon soooo, i hope you enjoyed it tho!


	5. Date beginnings pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the date kicks off!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers! I apologize for taking longer than expected to update, please enjoy this chapter

Two more days till the date, it was Tuesday when Akaashi received a call from his editor to discuss his latest work. But instead, the raven turned it into a Q and A about dating advice. Should he bring a gift? Should he bring an extra scarf or an umbrella? There were so many questions that Akaashi needed to be answered. The man that was meant to answer all the queries immediately put on his sourpuss’s face and shook his head fervently, as if Akaashi could see the editor’s reluctance; which earned a hyena laugh from Kuroo who was nearby. Thankfully, his partner, Kuroo, was around to answer all the questions for the raven instead. Kuroo and Akaashi knew each other well, not as well as Kenma and the writer knew about each other though; so it felt natural for the questioning man to ask so much, the lanky male answered most goofy-sounding words with a cackle. It was already a rarity to find out that Akaashi was going on a date let alone for him to be so open about it, in fact, his bro, Bokuto, was going on a date too. 

Bokuto had texted him just yesterday that he had a walk in the park with a “quiet beauty.” Now that Kuroo is thinking about it… Bokuto did have his stand-up date at the cafe not far from the Akaashi residence. Hmm, let’s see what Kenma thinks. 

“One sec, Akaashi, I’ll have to put you on hold to speak to my lovely boyfriend.” 

The crow resembling male turned to see his small boyfriend with a disgusted look on his face, defending himself by blanching out, 

“I am not ‘lovely’ for your information,”

“Well, remember when I told you I set Bokuto up on a date with that complete failure of a show-up?” 

“mhmm, and?” 

“wellll, the meet-up was that cafe that Akaashi basically lives at. And now Bokuto apparently has a date with an and-I-quote, ‘quiet beauty.’ So what I’m thinking is…”

Kenma was not usually one to widen his eyes or be bewildered at anything, but the implied hypothesis would connect some dots that were left alone when Akaashi had called him that one-time asking advice on an undisclosed situation… Kenma mentally facepalmed himself for not seeing such a subtle creation that would usually be obvious in his observant eyes, he blamed it on how well Kuroo was treating him, all the cuddling and lovemaking must be rotting his sharp brain. The scheming blonde was also not usually so nosy but Akaashi was his best friend for crying out loud, so he had a right to try and find out who’s this guy who has Akaashi running in circles. He decided to point out some other factors that would further support his lover’s inference.

“Keiji was being quite a scaredy-cat about some opportunity that he couldn’t stop seeing all the negatives of… he also seems to be quite inspired with how speedy he is with his latest work, I wonder if that was the date proposal or something involving Bokuto.”

The men both nodded at each other, this was a rare pair that they never saw coming… and as much as they wanted to meddle into the affairs and speed up the process, it was better to leave the potential couple alone to their own devices. Akaashi and Bokuto would have to find out about the mutual friendships they have interconnected in their lives by themselves another day.

They took the patient author off hold and answered the questions with true care, they knew it was like Akaashi to be nervous but this extreme amount was peculiar indeed. That calm facade the raven had was rarely ever seen though so it was a big deal for the writer to allow the two men to see him like this, they even came over to help him pick out a nice outfit. Kuroo did most of the work by holding up clothing to the slender body and making Akaashi try on some combination he liked while Kenma laid on the queen bed curled up with Madoka. If there was any human the stubborn pet enjoyed the company of, it was Kenma, sure the blonde had some trouble easing her into his lap but after several cat-sitting and many lavish cans of cat food, the fat cat had warmed up to the editor. “I like that outfit,” Kenma said suddenly to a style Akaashi was wearing, the beige trench coat played a neutral part to the dark green sweater and suede trousers. If Kenma said he liked something, he meant it, so Akaashi decided on that to be his designated clothing for the walk. Kuroo was happy to have made a style that Kenma could agree with, he half believed that Kenma might have just said that so the two men could have their regularly scheduled cuddle at home around this time. The unbelonging males bid their goodbyes and good luck to the nervous single as they left the comfy apartment in earnest. Hand-in-hand, Kuroo and Kenma strolled home in a nice silence. They were very happy to see their close friends coming together and commended themselves for being able to keep the cat in the bag about the whole situation. The boyfriends celebrated this confidence coming from the owl and raven by eating an apple pie with whip cream. “We will just have to hope for the best,” they both thought as they munched on the warm dessert.

The Tuesday of worrying for Kenma and Kuroo about the date and picking out a proper outfit passed. It was Wednesday now, one more day till the early morning date. Akaashi took his mind off of how this date could be his true soulmate or his murderer… or somewhere in the middle by working on the novel. Akaashi had been delving so deep into each of his characters in his book that he was feeling success in his character development, he never had the strong suit when it came to describing the physical and mental attributes of his creative creations. So he used this precious time he had to make his book one for many readers to pour their time into like he has, he began writing with a passion at the beginning of the day, he only stopped around the afternoon to answer a text from his phone. The creative juices were drunk well, he checked his phone to see a message from his date. His heart jumped to the words on the pixelated screen. 

From: Bokuto-san   
Subject: Tomorrow!  
Hey, hey, hey! Are we still up for tomorrow to meet at the park? 8:45? 

Aw, it was cute that Bokuto felt the need to check in on confirmation for the date, Akaashi also recognized that the owl might have done this because 1) Akaashi was not a very confrontational person that could flee at any time and 2) Sadly, Bokuto had been flaked on before, the raven was witness to that with the first time he saw the buff male, just thinking about it made Akaashi feel terrible. The raven took the liberty to reply back swiftly as he prepared himself and Bokuto a small bento box for the park walk, he surveyed the most common bentos to avoid any allergies without having to seem intrusive and creepy for asking that personal information of the owly male. Done. He made sure to text back and set his alarm for 7:15 so he had enough time to lay in bed and panic before he did his daily routine of scrolling through his phone and doing a panic pace of his existence and worth. “Goodnight, Madoka” he whispers to the snoring pet as he tucks himself in with an excited buzzing around him. 

Bokuto rises in the early morning for his usual jog around the community, he makes himself a serving of scrambled eggs with spinach after he showers off the thin sheen of sweat from his body. He spends double the time he usually does doing his hair and reassuring himself that this date will be a good one, not like the last time (ditched). He can’t wait much longer to see Akaashi again, see his face clearly, try and determine what color his eyes are exactly, and most importantly, to finally hear his voice. He cleans up his apartment a tad bit incase the opportunity may arise to invite the alluring male over (of course, not for sex… yet) it also helped calm his nerves more. Anything to keep him from thinking too deeply about the what if’s and what abouts to placate his mind was very much welcome, which is why Bokuto found himself to be quickly answering Kuroo’s call with the custom ringtone that embodies their friendship completely. 

“Hey, hey, hey Kubro” Bokuto recited his usual greeting to his best friend with a tinge of anxiety behind it.

“What’s shaking, bro? Today’s the day for your date, right?” 

Kuroo questions the owl with some worry, he still feels terrible for putting his bestie with a flake who had already received their karma for their late tendencies. Kenma is curled around Kuroo, pawing at Kuroo’s tailored jacket so his fiancée might get the hint that he wanted it and the remainder of the expensive materials off his body. The cat-resembling couple was lying in their king-sized bed, currently cuddling after Kuroo had gotten home early from work late at night. Kenma was adamant about getting what he wanted as he began rubbing his clothed pelvis against the side of his lover’s thigh, he clung to Kuroo still and quietly whines of his impatience. They were just about to get it on till his Tetsurou had a quick realization that Bokuto would be attending his park stroll with their friend, Akaashi, very soon, this made Kuroo pay Bokuto a call much to Kenma’s avail of pouts and scrunched noses. He can hear Bokuto drone on about his small worries and questions, like which cologne to wear and what’s a good cleaner for getting scuff marks off cherry wood. Kenma couldn't continue like this much longer, he worked his way up to match his lanky future-husband's height whilst laying down so he could nibble the sensitive ear and slowly unbutton what was left to be unbuttoned off Kuroo's dress shirt. The tall male had obvious dilation of his pupils, he bit his lip to stop the groans leaving his lips every time Kenma rubbed against his body and bit his ear a little harder. The task of staying patient was getting difficult for Kuroo as he muted the call so Bokuto, on the other line, couldn’t hear what Kuroo was going to say to Kenma. 

“Baby, I’m gonna bed you till your eyes roll to the back of your head and all you can even comprehend is how deep I am inside you, but, I can't focus on Bokuto’s questions while you grind on me like a kitty in heat. Please stay still for just 2 more minutes and I’ll reward you greatly.” 

The smaller males eyes shone in anticipation and cheeks blushed at the dirty talk he should be used to by now since it was all he ever hear besides their other sounds of pleasure.. but no, Kenma nodded slowly as he watched Kuroo unmute himself to answer all of the scared male’s queries. Kuroo’s description of what he was going to do to him only made him want to whine more, it was like dirty talk but in a reprimanding way, too hot for Kenma to wait any longer. The conversation was a total whirlwind of Q and A for the next 120 second till the companions said their goodbyes and Kuroo bid Bokuto good luck and a reminder to call him afterward to talk about how it went, he knew very well that his Kenma would be dialing Akaashi as well after the date for news. During that time, the editor decided to text Akaashi a good fortune as well.

To: Akaashi   
Subject: important  
have fun and don’t be a scaredy-cat

The two males were now virtually alone, their pet cat in the other room doing God knows what, they laid there for some time to absorb what might be happening to their friend circle right before their eyes. “How’s about a double date if all goes well?” Kuroo purrs out in reaction to the sensations of Kenmas deft fingers stroking his scalp, the quiet male made a sound of deep thought in response and left light kisses on the questioner's forehead till he responded. 

“I like the big reveal you’re suggesting, but you know that there is no rush.” 

Kuroo’s made a sound of agreement before swiftly mounting Kenma, they were now in the missionary pose, still fully clothed, with Kuroo’s large hands holding Kenmas pert ass above the bed so his pelvis was wholly held up as if he were doing a pelvic thrust upward. Their long wait to finally connect was over and they had all the rest of the day to do whatever they wanted. The larger male chuckled as he felt up Kenmas smooth body and felt it tremble as he blew air into the shell of the small ear.

“You’re right, kitten, there is no rush, we’ve got all the time in the world.” Ugh, Kenma’s Tetsurou will be the death of him one day. The smaller man in question sighed in passion before mewling out his lover's name right as they locked lips.

“Kuro...”

Akaaahi received the message from Kenma in earnest. Little did the companion know that Akaashi was lying on the cold linoleum floor with Madoka laying on his ever-rising chest to act as a pressure to anchor him back to reality; he wondered how many cats he would need to get on top of him before he is classified as a victim of suffocation. Akaashi is far from the gangster life of actually having any sliver of confidence. What the heck was he thinking to just make plain bentos? What if Bokuto-san is allergic, hates them, or was planning on bringing snacks himself? UGH! His poor blood pressure was skyrocketing at all of the narrowly impossible scenarios he could think up in his mind before Madoka started kneading at his shirt's neckline with sharp claws. This was Akaashi’s sign that it’s time to get up and no more wimping up.

Since Bokuto had a good idea of where Akaashi’s residence was, he made sure the park wasn’t too far from him so it would be easier on the raven. Currently, the owl was doing a brisk walk to the location in question, with an estimated 15 minutes to spare for earliness. He surveyed the territory of greenery with his narrowed pupils for a quick assessment of where to find shade, water fountains, maps, and restrooms so he would be slightly more prepared for any mess up that he would most likely be the cause of. Heart rate through the roof, the owl decided to rest on the hard surface of a park bench to quell his worry, he subconsciously chose this specific seat so he would have a better viewpoint to spot when Akaashi came and an even better view of Akaashi coming toward him. 

“Oh no, no, no, no…” 

Akaashi repeated to himself like a mantra as he steered his body away from the original path he was on since he had just spotted the handsome man from the cafe sitting on a bench looking quite *hot* if Akaashi had to say so himself. Nodding off the weird glances from park participants, the raven trudged to a tree that would hide his body from the onlooking male, he could really use an inhaler right now to placate his tachypnea. What if Bokuto-san saw him? Akaashi should just dissolve right now, becoming sustenance for the tree he leaned on… okay… weird thought. 

“don’t be a scaredy-cat.” 

The anxious male thought back to Kenmas simple advice, it’s not like Akaashi could embarrass himself more than he already has; it’s been a complete blessing that Bokuto-san was so understanding and still wants to go out with him. “So don't mess this up.” Akaashi last whispered roll himself, as much as he could appreciate the feeling of being alone, it could truly become deprecating, but that isn’t the reason why he wants Bokuto-san! No, he wants Bokuto-san, because who wouldn’t want an understanding, motivated, buff looking angel at their side? Lifting himself off the trunk of the hefty plant, he began back on his previous path toward his fate.

When Bokuto had spotted the beautiful man, he had seen every second of the raven pausing, flapping his arms in hysteria, and running to hide behind a reliable oak tree. All these actions made Bokuto want to burst out laughing at how adorable it all was, yet he stayed composed and watched in the corner of his eye like the owl he was. This composure was purely performed just for the preservation of Akaashi's pride, Bokuto was quite relieved to see that even a seductive figure like Akaashi could get nervous and backtrack. All there was left for Bokuto to do was patiently wait for the raven to gain the confidence to come to him, it would be inappropriate to try and approach the already hesitant male in his vulnerable state. Bokuto also held his phone in his hand to feel for the vibration just in case Akaashi was to cancel the date, the taller male would be completely fine with it since he knows that Akaashi made the effort to come… and it already filled Bokuto with joy to just see the raven from a distance as he had just done. 

So the owl stayed sitting on the park bench, he started staring off at the other occupants of the land that were basking in each other’s happiness, he especially spectated a couple who were feeding each other cubes of cantaloupe, a feeling of longing washed over him. Although it’s quite too early to say or want anything from Akaashi, he hoped that one day they would be even more love-dovey than that pair… dang he should have bought snacks for Akaashi and him-

“Hello, Bokuto-san.”

The owl jumped in surprise as the raven was near him, standing to his side with his hands held tightly together and fingers twitching. The sitting male barely had the time to absorb it all, the fact that Akaashi had come up to him, the fact that Akaashi had decided to even approach such a lowly being such as Bokuto. 

This was the first time Bokuto could truly gaze at his love interest face-to-face, the experience of just seeing the beautiful being alone was ethereal. Akaashi’s form was immaculate, Bokuto could tell a slim waist and flesh needing to be kneaded under the tasteful outfit; the worrying hands had slim fingers that could be even longer than Bokuto’s, they were expressive in ways even a hand model couldn’t be. Akaashi’s facial structure was a concept God outdid herself in, the soft chin tip made Bokuto want to hold the delicate face in his hands, the cheekbones were subtle in their hidden beauty, the lips were slightly pouty yet elegant with the Cupid’s bow acting as a tease for any observer. What could Bokuto even begin to say about the male’s deep eyes? They were bottomless fountains of coursing ocean water that was blessed by the Gods, the color was to remain mysterious for all time. Akaashi’s hair was adorably wispy, it made the owl want to reach out and gently touch the lazy curls and massage the male’s head of all his worries. There could be no one more gorgeous than the deity standing before him. 

Akaashi felt his left eyebrow rise in curiosity to the wonder portrayed on Bokuto-san’s face, what was so appealing to have him stare open-eyed at him? It’s just Akaashi? But Akaashi was kinda enjoying the attention, to be looked at like he was a piece of art could grow on him. Not to mention just how bright Bokuto-san’s eyes were, and wow, his arms are huge, imagine how easily he could lift Akaashi and just- anyway… no one could pull off that hairstyle as good as he does, is it natural? It’s gotta be, even his eyebrows are grey! Bokuto-san seems quite diligent in the health department, his skin glows, his lips are moisturized from natural amounts of hydration, there is not one hint of lavender under his eyes, and his body could make the hulk jealous. This has to be some kind of joke, right? What would a complete model such as the staring male want with a farce like Akaashi? Okay, It’s time to get to business before the mind stumbles into a place of paranoia and over-thinking.

“Bokuto-san? You’re staring.”

“Oh! Yes! I mean! No-, well… yes, but not in a bad way! It’s just that… well you probably get this a lot, but you’re just so stunning.”

At a moment like this, Akaashi would probably stare and double back at a person‘s comment to his appearance, but he could swear on his left kidney that Bokuto must be being honest, there was not a drop of malice or suspicious activity in the look of wonder he gave Akaashi. All the raven could do in return was giggle at the stuttered response, his heart felt aflutter at how honest and meaningful the statement was; of course there was no way that the owl could look at Akaashi in a way that was meant to be degrading. He held up the Bento boxes and drinks in the bag in a suggestive way so Bokuto could catch his drift of wanting to have a meal together, thank gosh he also brought a blanket to bask on top of as they ate. They set up to eat in a grassy spot that was under some leaves that still got partial sunlight and wouldn’t get them hit by frisbees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading !!!


	6. Date Endings Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date is coming to an end! Is a second one to be expected?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer as compensation for taking so long to update!

Akaashi sat criss-cross applesauce and Bokuto was posed like one of the painted French girls as they munched on the packed “brunch.”

“Mhhm, thank you Akaashi! I didn’t think to bring food, let alone a blanket. And this bento box really hits the spot!”

Akaashi slightly flinched at the last part of the comment that could be sexually interpreted, he chose to just hum in reply to the compliment and thank his makers that Bokuto-san likes the box. The weather was a little chilly so he was glad he dressed accordingly and the flannel blanket even matched the whole ensemble. Glancing over at the muscly man, Akaashi noticed that he was wearing a color block of neutral tones so his outfit went perfectly with Akaashi’s, this must be a good sign. If only the raven could be relaxed enough to start a conversation, there should be no reason for him to be so uptight… he just really wants to have a nice time with Bokuto-san, and the only way to ensure that was to just not open his mouth before nonsense spews out. 

Bokuto was internally combusting at how beautiful his date was, the smaller male kept glancing down and fiddling with his fingers and every time Bokuto would look away, he knew Akaashi was staring at him. He looked so delicate, so precious, no evil thing could ever taint such an angel, his wavy hair resembling the hypothetical halo atop his head. Them not talking was okay at first but the owl doesn't want to make the quiet turn into uncomfortable silence so he just says the first thing that comes to mind, backtracking to the cafe, something they can relate to since they have both been there. 

“The baristas of Mocha Aroma seem smitten with you, how often do you visit?” 

Obviously, this was the wrong choice to first talk about since Akaashi’s Eyes widened larger than a deer in the headlights. In retrospect, this topic was the most awful to bring up because Akaashi might think that he is being teased or confronted… this was the last thing the owl wanted, it was far from his intent. So he backtracked a bit as the raven’s face became more and more flush in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bring that up as a bad thing, I was just wondering how acquainted you were with the cafe!”

Understanding flickered in the once tense face as he nodded. He wanted to show Bokuto-san that he knew where he was coming from, so he reached out and laid his hand to touch the buff males own hand that was against the plaid blanket, trying not to let his pumping heart not get the best of him from him making the first move of touching Bokuto’s very warm hand as he went on and replied,

“Thank you for explaining yourself, Bokuto-san, but it’d be rude of me not to personally apologize for what I did at the cafe… and yes I do go there a lot, mostly when I’m having writer's block and need a change of scenery.”

“There’s no need to apologize! The drink was really delicious, and are you a writer? You were working quite diligently in there.” 

Akaashi paused, were they having 2 different conversations at once? Okay, and did Bokuto-san just confess that he was eyeing him at the cafe too?

“Well I’m glad the drink was good but I’m actually referring to the part where I ran away, but yes I am a writer, most of my works are under a pen name up until recently where I started using my real title. And… Bokuto-san… are you saying that you were looking at me too?” 

Now Bokuto’s eyes went bigger than an owl’s, he just got caught red-handed by the clever raven for having his eyes on him too at the cafe. Akaashi watched the lying male look up at the sky and try to hide the embarrassing grimace on his face, forget the rest of the conversation, this reaction out of Bokuto-san was gold. The male wearing glasses didn’t even mean to confront the date yet he ended up doing so. Bokuto lies there for a time, they stare at each other in shock till they both burst out laughing at just how funny the situation was. 

“Ahh, Akaashi really is a genius, isn’t he? You got me to admit something quite mortifying”

After both the men had a laugh at the situation, they relaxed. Akaashi’s criss-cross position relaxed his body into a more comfortable position of straightening his legs out in front of him and leaning back with his hands flat behind him on the ground to act as a support so he wasn’t lying down completely. Akaashi could already feel himself opening up to Bokuto-san, before this moment, the raven would bet on his kidney that he would never be able to communicate casually with such an enigma such as Bokuto-san. The raven was more likely to be more open with calm people, that’s why he gets along well enough with Kenma, but Kuroo-san is another story in how cunning he could be. 

“Well, Bokuto-san, I’m quite flattered that I wasn’t the only one who was eyeing someone at the cafe and it makes me feel relieved to know you feel something toward me as well.”

The owl is staring back up at the sky now his hands acting as a cushion for the back of his head as he signed and admonished to the male he was speaking to, even though he was looking up at the raven at a terrible angle, but the blue-green eyed angel made it work. It was ridiculous just how fast Bokuto was falling for this intelligent, beautiful, and thoughtful creature, he had never felt this comfortable around someone he had only been around twice. Yeah, his previous dates were nice, him being the lead in most, but here? Everything fit more perfectly than a puzzle. The owl continued his starring in earnest while the raven tilted his head up and closed his eyes to genuinely feel the nice breeze hitting them. Bokuto decided then and there we would enjoy this weather too as he also looked straight to the blue sky and rested his eyes.

Akaashi noticed when Bokuto had finished looking at him, with dusty pink cheeks, Akaashi decided it was his turn to admire Bokuto. The raven wanted to sweep his hand across the healthy face of the owl very badly, it was downright unfair just how beautiful Bokuto was, he wondered if he would ever get the privilege of knowing his given name, would it be fitting? Would Bokuto-san ever call him “Keiji?” Akaashi fantasized this as he began to slowly lay down, not wanted to stir the big owl he would lay next to, he laid on his back with his hands resting atop his stomach; he turned his head to see the side of Bokuto’s face still available to see to continue his thoughts. Would he joyfully say the name when he answers the phone to plan a date, speak the word as they share their first kiss, state the title after proposing they begin dating, utter the name in the night as they share warm covers, chant “Keiji” in his ear as they connect each others body like a religion? Only time will tell, Akaashi muses to himself whilst still looking upon the soft face in adoration. Akaashi must learn more about this man who seems to raise his heartbeat with his mere existence. 

“Do you enjoy this weather, Bokuto-san?”

The athletic male opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Akaashi as well, he didn’t seem fazed at all at the raven’s new position or notice just how close they were to each other with their turned faces adding to the closeness. Akaashi felt his face warm-up for the 100th time today as he stayed still, looking into the bright yellow of Bokuto’s irises. 

“Yes! It’s not exactly my favorite per se, but the bright sun is my main favorite to any weather.”

“Does that mean you enjoy sunny days the most?”

“Yes! And what about you, Akaashi-, oh wait! That reminds me, what would you prefer I call you?”

“Hmmm…”

He takes a moment to read through the conversation so far: 1) Bokuto prefers hot, sunny days… Akaashi never felt opposed to those days but did find himself the most on the day with that weather but he’s open to anything Bokuto does with those temperatures 2) How fitting it was that Bokuto liked the sun, Akaashi created a theory that Bokuto’s eyes soaked up the sunlight to keep their warm, yellow color 3) Is it too early for Akaashi to request hebe called ‘Keiji?’ yes, disappointedly so, yes it was…

“I’m just fine with ‘Akaashi’ as long as it's with you, Bokuto-san. And what is your preferred title?” 

Bokuto looked up to the sky in thought, a small but proud smile on his face from Akaashi’s implication that only he may address him by the name alone, Akaashi took the opportunity to keep gazing at the man that he had kept looking at so many times. The owl laughed lightheartedly as he stared at the blue atmosphere as softly said

“It’s probably too much to ask for you to call me ‘Koutarou,’ right?”

He turned his head to look at Akaashi expectantly, wide eyes anticipating something he couldn’t ask. Akaashi and he stared into each other’s eyes, the sun’s surface on the blue ocean. The raven wanted the sun to burn him, the name was so fitting for the larger man. Akaashi wanted to imprint the name into his mind, to have it flow through his veins. It was almost impossible to not repeat the name so he would have a feel for how the name ‘Koutarou’ would feel on his lips. Akaashi smiled an embarrassed smile and put a hand to cover his pink face as he replied back

“I’d like to call you ‘Koutarou’ one day and I hope for you to call me ‘Keiji’ soon too but let’s wait a little longer?”

The suggestive implication that Akaashi would like to take the relationship further had the yellow-eyed male smiling widely, it was blinding Akaashi, he smiled back softly at the man he was on the date with. The athletic trainer couldn’t hold back, he needed to know how the given name would feel on his lips, he wanted to say it a million times if it would get the beautiful male right next to him to upturn his mouth and paint the top of his cheeks that baby pink just one more time.

“Okay, Akaashi, I'll wait to call you ‘Keiji’ till you say ‘Koutarou,’ kay?”

“Okay, Bokuto-san.”

“Ah, Agaashee, you don’t need to use the honorific unless you want to, I feel too embarrassed to ask you how old you are exactly.”

You could tell how flustered the man was with his darting eyes and sheepish facial expression, this made Akaashi want to laugh in relief that even a being as immaculate as Bokuto can get this way. The author was too enamored to even care about how Bokuto had just pronounced his name, in fact, it made his heart open up even more than before. All the raven could do was smile endearingly at his date and come to a quick resolution. 

“Me too, let's say it at the same time and go from there...3...2..1… twenty-three.”

“Twenty-four! Oh no! I didn’t say it on time, here look at my I.D. I promise I’m not lying to fit in, Agaashee!”

In the fretting man’s craze to bring out his I.D. card, Akaashi was set off to a giggle fit that made him have to lay on his side and clutch his stomach with knees brought in, it was adorable how Bokuto wanted to prove himself so much. Bokuto was sitting up at that point, patting himself down for his wallet while trying to calm Akaashi’s nonexistent fear of his “fake” age.

“Bokuto-san-hah, there’s no need, I believe you, I believe you! I knew you looked pretty young from the start…”

“Now that’s not fair, you’re younger than me!”

The older man pouted, he was back to his original “paint me like one of your french girls” pose, nonchalantly tugging at Akaashi’s heart stings like the oblivious charmer he was. They couldn’t stop chuckling at their reactions to each other. They continued their conversational antics for another hour and a half, learning mostly silly information about the other. Bokuto had the honor of learning about Akaashi’s career, he used to be an editor but decided to create his works with his close friend and editor (no he didn’t reveal that certain person’s name), his latest book is close to done (he didn’t admit that Bokuto had helped him a bit with that), his mom was a CEO that found herself traveling quite a lot (whether that be for her own relaxation or to the relief of her lower workers to finally settle business), he cat-sat Madoka a lot (he had a plethora of cat pics, Bokuto didn’t seem to notice the blonde hair and small build of someone he knew quite well that was slightly cut out of the shot with the cat in his lap), he was quite alright with plain coffee, and so much more. Bokuto had never sat that still in his life, there was no way he was going to miss or interrupt Akaashi’s tidbits of life facts that he hopes to use one day to show Akaashi just how much he cares, maybe serve Akaashi his *gross* plain coffee in the morning or give this cat named Madoka a toy.

And Akaashi was just as immovable when it came to knowing more about Bokuto. Learning that the lean and buff male was an athletic trainer wasn’t a surprise, his favorite exercise was pushups or anything with weights (Akaashi had to lick his lips to that), he liked barbecue meat the most, his mom is quite the worrywart (purely out of love for her Kou-Kou), he’s thinking about getting a pet (“Maybe I should get a cat too, Akaashi!”), he was once one of the top 5 aces in Japan (“Very amazing, Bokuto-san”), he suddenly sits up and closely observes Akaashi, causing the raven to blush

“Bokuto-san, wha-”

“And I’m having a hard time deciding what color your eyes are…”

Akaashi was, once again, having a hard time controlling his heart rate. Having Bokuto scrutinize something so simple as his eye color made the shy male want to close the gap between their lips, he never had someone want to know that minuscule thing about him. Yeah, most of his boyfriends chose him for his seductive looks but never went on to care so much for what the exact tint of his irises.

“Ah, to be honest, sometimes I don’t know myself… I don’t put much thought into it; it states I have blue eyes on my I.D. card though.”

“So cool, Akaashi! How cool can you be!”

“Never as cool as you, Bokuto-san.”

“Agaasheee!”

Another half-hour went about mindless talk that meant the world to each of them, they went by a drink stand, Bokuto got himself hot cocoa and Akaashi a chai latte. Warmed up from the drinks, Bokuto offered to walk Akaashi home and the male agreed to only halfway since it was out of the owl’s way. The stroll that would end the date was far calmer than the walks that began it, Akaashi felt his nerves almost purr around Bokuto. Their conversation was light, Bokuto pointing out some places he’s been, Akaashi to some he has. 

The weather was perfect for their walk, even if it was only the afternoon at the time of their parting. The urge to hold hands struck both of them deeply, but small steps were best if they wanted this relationship to build properly. Akaashi slowed to a stop near a forum of eateries and interesting date spots, the world was going on all around them but they could only pay attention to the person they were facing. Bokuto gently reached to grasp each of the finger fumbling males long-fingered hands with each of his own calloused ones. They faced each other whilst holding hands on each side when Bokuto began speaking, barely holding the hands he laced his fingers within fear that Akaashi would think him too brash…

“Akaashi, I just wanna know one more thing…”

Akaashi would usually consider this a little too showy, but Bokuto did it with grace and tenderness that any other date he’d been with lacked, the hands he held on either side of his body were both his spacecraft to another universe and also his anchor back to earth. He was sure he would pass out if the brawny man in front of him did any more unintentional moves on him. Bokuto himself seemed hesitant on asking this certain question; curiously, yet cautiously, he whispered back

“Anything, Bokuto-san.”

“... well, it might be too soon to ask, oh gosh I shouldn’t ask so soon, sorry, please forget I ever asked.”

The owl hung his head low in defeat, the calloused hands twitching in shame. Akaashi’s red face turned slightly exasperated as he tightly held the larger hands and deepened it to have the fingers interlacing.

“Bokuto-san, I’m sorry for my timidness before… but please… don’t hold back.”

“Uh, thank you, Akaashi, I wasn’t doing it in fear of your fear! If that makes sense… Anyway! I was wondering if you’d like to do this again? Somewhere different, of course! I can think of a few more places to have a date at that I think you’ll like, I really do enjoy spending time with you and would like to do this again! That is… if you’ll let me”

The raven blinked at the confession, there was many things to absorb in the average .98 milliseconds he had to reply: 1) Bokuto is considerate of him, it touched Akaashi’s heart and made him want to give Bokuto a smooch as a reward for his adorableness and Bokuto’s way of explaining himself was very eloquent 2) He really wanted to have another date with Akaashi?!?! He expected it but to hear it come out of the owl’s mouth was the cherry on top of this happy high he’s feeling. 3) Bokuto already had a mental list of places he'd like to take Akaashi? This is the man of his dreams, this means Akaashi must work hard too in order to make sure he’s caught up with the owl’s romancing. 4) Bokuto l i k e s spending time with him? Akaashi had always thought of himself as a decent company but not exactly the most enthusiastic. This overly fast heart was swelling with pride at this catch he made with Bokuto-san. 5) The athletic man still seems to have some hesitancy to push Akaashi forward, but that only shows his gentle side more. With gripping hands, the raven stared into Bokuto’s darting eyes, the grip caught his attention as he peered upon the beautiful date's determined face.

“If it's too soon I underst-”

“I would love to, let's make arrangements over text, and please feel free to call me anytime…”

The frigid but broad shoulders of the taller man released all the tension that had built up in the time between him speaking to the raven’s reply; he felt as if he were a dessert receiving rain for the first time in eons. Akaashi Keiji was amazing. They had been in that same position for a while now, or at least longer than people who just went on their first date should, but they couldn’t bring themselves to care. Both of them jumped out of fright due to the loud ringtone coming from both of their back pockets, getting called at the same time. 

“Woah, what a coincidence!”

“It’s almost weird…”

They both take a look at whos collectively ringing them, quickly acknowledging the caller, and silence their phones to say their goodbyes before starting new conversations.

“I guess we’ll part here unless you want me to walk you the whole way?!?”

“That’s alright, Bokuto-san, I’ve taken enough of your time… Please have a nice rest of your day!”

Akaashi smiled finally at his date before slowly, and subtly losing his grasp on the warm hands. The action seemed as if In slow motion, like two people holding on for dear life before the other one fell down a lethal cliff before letting go; Bokuto’s shivered as he felt the soft fingertips touch his and wave goodbye as the shy male started walking the other direction. The owl watched Akaashi walk away, taking in his slim figure that walked so casually, even though they both agreed this wasn’t the end, he didn't want this date to end so early. He didn’t allow Akaashi to get very far, running up to him and grabbing the dainty wrist of one hand while still behind him. The surprise mail spun around with wide eyes to see that it was the same man he had held hands with not even a minute ago.

“Sorry, Agaashe, but I don’t want this to end just yet… If it’s okay with you, I’d like to walk with you some more.”

What could the respondent do but stare at Bokuto with starry eyes, they were facing each other just like last time but the owl just held the thin wrist of Akaashi now. The raven looked down to see that Bokuto held him earnestly, his large hand encircling the whole wrist but not hard enough to bruise. The reserved male couldn’t bring his heated and red face to look up to meet his date's adamant one. So he slowly yet deliberately laced Their fingers together into a loose hand-holding and finally responded In a voice just above a whisper

“Me too…”

While they walked in circles through the cozy metropolis of Tokyo, they planned their next date for next week to a Japanese tea garden botanical/ plant nursery. They would take Bokuto’s car in since it too far to walk but just right for transportation, Akaashi frets a bit if this was too much but Bokuto reassured him that he enjoyed driving and rarely got to use the car anyway. Akaashi recommended the place to shop for a plant after Bokuto began discussing what pet to get…

“So, Akaashi, I’ve always considered myself a dog person but maybe a car would be best since I’m not home as much as a pet dog would need me to be! Oh! Maybe a fish would be best… ooh a pet owl would be the coolest but they need their freedom. What do you think?”

“Hmm, I’ve always seen myself as a cat person, but maybe that’s because I’ve only ever been surrounded by cats, mostly due to my mom fostering them throughout her life. Maybe it would be best to start with what you know? What was the last pet you had?”

Bokuto visibly deflated at the last question, Akaashi came to the quick conclusion that 1) Bokuto was still sad about the loss of his last unnamed pet 2) Bokuto did not agree with Akaashi’s suggestion or 3) Bokuto has never had a pet to go off on. Turns out that Akaashi’s 3rd theory was the correct one, between his crazy school life and 2 sisters, his parents never advocated for any pets

“Because they said I created enough mess as it is.”

The owl laughed heartily along with Akaashi’s bell laughter to the recollection of his childhood. His vivid description of his huge dad rejecting all 3 of his offspring's requests with pouty lips and puppy dog eyes was enough to make the stoic raven laugh. The owl family seemed sweet, a homey and close-knit clan of grey and black-haired people with all their own passions. Akaashi could only hope he would have the privilege of meeting them one day, but he was thinking too far ahead.

“Well, Bokuto-san, I think it would be best for you to start off small then, there’s actually this plant nursery I’ve been meaning to go to… I’d like to see how Madoka reacts to catnip… maybe we could go together? That is if you’d want to and if you even want a plant?”

Akaashi asked in a quizzical yet shy way, his ears dusting pinks and chest rising a bit more. Bokuto was surprised that all this smiling wasn’t aching his face, the raven just kept on throwing adorable surprise after adorable surprise at him. 

“That sounds like a great idea, Akaashi! What kinds of plants do you own? I bet they are all so pretty, do you have blue roses to match you?”

Akaashi burst out laughing at the question that wasn’t even all that funny, he had to keep his balance by holding onto Bokuto’s broad shoulder nearest to him as they kept strolling, getting curious glances directed their way a few times. Bokuto really had no idea how cute he was being, Akaashi decided it was his turn to charm Bokuto as revenge as he cleared his throat.

“Agaashee? No blue roses?” 

“No, but thank you for the nice comparison. I wonder what plant would be a good fit for you… of course a reliable plant that’s good for indoors. A peace lily would match your gorgeous eyes, Bokuto-san. Hmmm, a cactus wouldn’t require much work and it would really match your spiked hair!

“Akaashi! You’re complimenting me too much! I’ll faint if you overdo it!”

The larger man made a dramatic motion of a damsel about to faint with the back of his hand touching his forehead as he looked over his shoulder. They were making each other laugh way too much with all the silly antics. Akaashi didn’t even realize that they had arrived at his home, he stood in front of the date. Bokuto looked up at the skyscraping, lofty building that the raven probably called home. Even though the writer wasn’t the one to design it, it seemed very Akaashi-esque in its own way.

“Ah, today was the most fun I ever had on a date, thank you Akaashi!”

“Me too, let's plan out the details for our next date over text, kay?”

The ebony-haired male parroted Bokuto’s earlier promise as a reminder that he still remembered, he reached to softly graze the other man’s hand with his own whilst smiling up at this. This must have been the icing on the cake with how Bokuto looked back at him with starry eyes and blood rushing to the surface of his face. The raven turned to head inside the grand Apartment complex before he could change his mind and stay out longer with Bokuto, he knew that Kenmare was most likely loyally waiting at his beck and call so they could discuss the meeting and hatch theories about the deeper meaning of things… But Akaashi sensed that there were no true colors that his date was hiding. He only turned his head once to see if the great owl was still there, he was, waving at the raven with a big smile on his face and a glimpse of adoration in the sunny eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!! My next chapters will become more centric in their point of views so I can keep track of who I am on in perspective!!! Please look forward to the next chapters

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments on advice to better strengthen my writing style!


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